The Talk
by iheartci
Summary: Just a little one-shot that came to me while I was watching a re-run of Purgatory. This is a post-ep and there are spoilers for that episode.


A/N: So I watched Purgatory for about the 20th time yesterday and was annoyed with how all we got out of it was how angry Eames was with Bobby. I really wanted them to make up, so I decided to write a fic about it.

I'm also supposed to be writing a speech right now, and this was a great distraction :). Hope you enjoy!

Oh yea, the words in Italics are quotes from the episode, in case you didn't know.

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><p><em>"I get it. <em>You're_ the genius, and I just carry your water, right?"_

Her words haunted him like the ghost of an old enemy as he sat on his couch. It was 3 in the morning and there were no lights on in his tiny apartment. He wanted to be in the dark, like he had kept Eames in the dark while he'd gone undercover on the Testarosa case. He couldn't sleep, not after the fight he'd had with Eames earlier. He thought back to that angry, mostly one-sided, conversation they'd had in the observation room.

_"This was my only way back. I mean, how else am I gonna get my shield? Y-You're not gettin' it."_

That didn't come out at all like he wanted. He'd meant to tell her that he only got involved in this whole mess of a case because he wanted to get back to working with her. However, the words that came out only made it sound like he had done it for himself.

_"All your wounds are self-inflicted."_

At the time, he'd thought what she said was completely uncalled for. How dare she throw that in his face like that. He thought more about it now, though, and it was pretty accurate actually. He had been particularly self-destructive lately; he wasn't quite sure why. Anyone who cared at all about him, including her, only ever tried to help him, yet he felt the need to burn all his bridges.

As he was psychoanalyzing himself, his cell phone rang. It startled him because, well, who calls at 3 in the morning? It could be a call out, which he would have to get used to again since he'd just gotten off of his seemingly never ending suspension.

He grabbed his phone off the coffee table in front of him and saw it was Eames. He immediately became more awake and alert than he was feeling earlier as soon as he saw her name flash across the screen display.

"H-Hello?"

"Hi Bobby."

"Uh, hi Eames. What's going on?"

"Were you asleep?"

"No, I uh, I wasn't. So...what's that matter?"

"I've been thinking and...we need to talk. About what happened earlier, I mean."

He was so relieved to hear that she wanted to talk. He'd hoped that this was going to be a good talk though, not an 'I'm requesting a new partner because I can't handle you anymore' kind of thing. He couldn't quite tell by the sound of her voice.

"Um, ok. When?"

"Well I know it's late, but I've just been driving around for a while because I couldn't sleep. I'm only a few minutes away from your apartment. Would you mind if I came over?"

He figured that it was not a good sign for her to want to come over now. It had to be bad if it couldn't wait until normal hours of the day.

"N-no, not at all."

"Ok, good. I'll see you in a few."

"Ok."

And with that they both hung up. He had no idea what to make of her sudden need to talk, and that made him very nervous.

About five minutes later he heard a quiet knock on the door. He was still nervous, but he was also excited to see her at the same time. He was really hoping this talk was going to end on good terms, so they could start to heal their relationship.

He opened the door and saw Eames standing there. She was in the same clothes that she'd been in when he saw her walk out of 1PP last night, and she looked like she'd been crying. That part hit him hard.

_"Well, guess I'll see you tomorrow morning?"_

_"Yep."_

She really was pissed at him. She had always been so forgiving of all of his stupid mistakes and antics. This was the first time she'd given him the cold shoulder like that, and he worried that he'd finally crossed the line with her.

He was ripped away from his thoughts when she half-shouted his name.

"Bobby!"

"Oh, sorry. I, uh, I got distracted. Come on in."

He took her coat from her and hung it up next to the door. After he got them some coffee, he figured it was going to be a long talk, Eames sat on the couch and he sat on the coffee table in front of her.

Eames was the first to speak.

"Well I guess I'll start by apologizing-"

Bobby cut her off and said, "You don't need to do that. This whole thing was my fault."

"No, Bobby, let me finish. There's some things I really need to say to you."

"Ok."

"I want to apologize for snapping at you the way I did. I should've handled that better, and I'm sorry for it. It's just that, I thought we were so close, you know? I thought that I was finally gaining your trust, and then BAM! This happened, and I was left in the dark again."

"I really was trying to protect you, you know. Whether you believe me or not is your choice, but it's the truth."

"I don't need you to protect me Bobby, I'm a big girl!I can take care of myself!"

She took a moment to collect herself before she started to yell at him all over again like the previous night. She took a deep breath and started again.

"I just...If you had just told me, then I wouldn't have had to see your face down the barrel of my gun."

The shakiness of her voice didn't go unnoticed by either of them. She had to look away because she knew if she looked him in the eyes any longer she would lose all control of her emotions, or what control she had left anyway.

It was at that moment that he realized what a toll not knowing about his involvement had taken on her. He saw her struggling to keep her composure so reached out to rub her shoulder. He knew it was a weak attempt at consoling her, but he was afraid she'd get mad or leave if he tried anything more intimate like holding her hand.

"Alex, I'm so sorry. It was selfish of me to think that I was being 'the protector' when all I was really doing was hurting you. You have to understand, though, that I didn't agree to this assignment just to get my shield back. I did miss working, but it wasn't the work that I missed. I missed you. I had to get back to you. That's why I was so intent on following the rules. Hell, you know me. When do I ever follow rules?"

He gave a weak smile, trying to lighten things up a bit. It worked a little, because he got the tiniest of laughs out of her.

"You're definitely right about the rules part, I'll give you that. I meant what I said earlier though Bobby. About how if it hadn't been me who burst in on whatever the hell was happening in that room, you would be dead. That scares me like you wouldn't believe. I've already lost one cop that I loved on the job, and now I almost killed you! You could have _died_, and it would've been me who was responsible for it. Do you know how bad that would've messed me up? To have to lose someone I love again? It would have destroyed me, Bobby. I don't know if you'll ever understand that."

She'd hoped he didn't catch that last part. She hadn't meant to tell him she loved him. Well, she had, eventually, but not tonight.

"No, I can't say that I can understand, but I know where you're coming from. I can't apologize enough for what this has done to you, but I can promise you that from now on I'll always be honest with you..."

He paused after a few seconds. She swore she could see the wheels of his mind turning. She knew he had just registered what she had said. She could see it in his eyes. Then he leaned forward slightly, like he was going to let her in a on a secret or something.

"Wait a minute. D-Did you just say what I think you said?"

She took her eyes off him again, this time looking down at the carpet. When she didn't answer, he put his finger under her chin and lifted her head so their eyes would meet.

"Alex, did you just say you l-love me?"

She gave a slow, sad nod. Like a guilty child who had just been asked by their parent if they'd eaten all the cookies after they'd caught them with their hand in the cookie jar.

Bobby moved to sit next to her on the couch. He wrapped her up in a warm, loving embrace. After a moment, she gave in a wrapped her arms around him, too. She rested her head against his chest and they sat there holding each other for what seemed like forever.

They pulled apart and Eames still looked a little bit sad, but he didn't understand why. That's when it dawned on him that he hadn't said anything back. He'd just given her a hug without saying anything.

He felt like he wasn't going to do well with words right now, so instead he brought his left hand to her face and gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb. When she leaned into his touch, he knew this was the moment.

He brought his right hand to her other cheek so that he cupped her face with both hands. He leaned in while simultaneously pulling her to him until their lips met. At first the kiss was slow and gentle while they tested the waters. After a few seconds they began to deepen the kiss and explore each other.

Bobby ran his tongue over her lips and she opened her mouth to grant him access. He could taste the coffee they'd been drinking, along with her own sweetness. The kiss went on for what seemed like hours, but was only about a minute. When they parted he was still cupping her face, and her arms were around his neck. They stared at each other for a moment, until Bobby spoke.

"So, are we okay now?"

She gave him another shorter, but still passionate kiss, before she replied with a sly smile.

"I think we'll be just fine."

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><p>AN 2: So I hope this was enjoyable because I had fun writing it. Please review! Good or bad, comments make me happy :)


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